ELTHAM TRAGEDY

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12315, 9 December 1925, Page 7

ELTHAM TRAGEDY

SCHOOLBOY MURDERED IN WASHHOUSE IN EARLY MORNING FATHER CHARGED WITH MURDER ■ * “I INTENDED TO KILL ALL, AND THEN MYSELF” On the morning of Thursday, November 26th, a schoolboy, William Kv&y, fon of Archibald Gi-ay, late health inspector at Eltham, was done to death whilst in the act of cleaning his boots in the washhouse of his parents' residence. The father, whose sanity is questioned, was charged with the crime, and yesterday lie came before the court, pleaded not guilty, and was committed for trial.

Per Press Association. ELTHAM, December 8,

The deferred murder charge against Archibald Gray, late health inspector at Eltham. that on November 26th, 1925, he did murder his sou, William 1 Gray, was continued at Elthapi this afternoon, when the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of William Gray was conducted concurrently. Mr C. R. Orr-Walker, S.M., presided over the murder charge, and Hr J. P. Stubbs, J.P., coroner, assisted with a jury of four. The publio portion of the.court was crowded when Gray entered the box. George Henry Carter, an employee of the Egmont Box Factory, said he knew the accused. Gray was his nextdoor neighbour. On November 26th last witness was sitting at breakfast, at about 6.40 o’clock, -and in consequence of something he heard from his

wife he went ta his bock door which faced Gray’s property. When he- got to the door he heard someone calling out, and screaming sounds were coming from the washhouse in Gray’s property. When he heard the screams he jumped the fence between Gray’s proterty and his own, saw Mbs Gray and er daughter coming out of the, washhouse, and Gray bending or kneeling in the washhouse, when he entered, over the body of Willie Gray, who was lying flat on his back on the washhouse floor. The hoy’s throat was cut, and there was blood all over the floor. He secured Gray by the coat oollar, and pulled him out of the washhouse.

“I asked Gray,” said witness, “if he knew what he was doing, and he said ‘No.’ ” darter said that when he got Gray out of the washhouse he asked Kim if he knew he had taken his eon’s life, and why he did it? Gray said: “No.” Gray had a razor in his right hand, and witness relieved the accused of it, and threw it over his own fence. He identified the razor produced as the one in question. “YOU HAVE KILLED WILLIE”

When he arrived on tho scene first he heard Mrs Gray screaming, “Yon have killed Willie.’’ As far as witness could judge, Gray made no attempt on the life of his wife or daughter.

Cross-examined: Gray was on, affectionate terms with the members of his family. I have never heard him have a wrong word with his son Willie. In fact, I should say he was very fond of the hoy and his family. They were his first consideration.

Douglas Hutchison Saunders, medical practitioner, said that on arrival at Gray’s house, he found, the body of the hoy Willie Gray in the washhouse in a pool of blood. Cross-examined: Did the accused say anything to Constable Townsend in your presence?—Yes. He said he meant to kill the lot and then himself. Tho cause of death would be heart failure following haemorrhage. From your conversation with Gray would you ascriho any motive for tho occurrence ?—No.

Do you consider that in this case the provisions which the law has made for the observation of persons in the position of accused, should be invoked ?-s~I do. Constable Townsend detailed his having gone to the scene of the tragedy and finding the boy on the floor

quite dead with his throat cut. He went into tho kitcht@f of Grab’s house and found Gray there. He said to accused : “Do you Know what you have done? and the accused whispered: “Yes.” , ACCUSED MAKES A CONFESSION Gray further said: “I have been nervy and not sleeping and intended to jiill them all and then myself.” When Gray was at the police station' ho said: “It is an awful thing, I don’t know why I did it.” The accused madq a statement of confession on the above lines, and this was produced in court. Counsel intimated that the prisoner would enter a plea of not guilty, and reserve his defenoe, and he was committed to the Supreme Court at New Plymouth for trial. After a retirement of eleven minutes the jury returned a finding that Willio Gray met his death through heart failure following haemorrhage as the result of a wound to the neck caused by Archibald Gray. The jury added a rider that Carter was to he highly commended for the brave manner in which he took the razor from Gray, and urged that the only medical witness called had recommended a course, tho advantage of which should he taken under the provisions of the Mental Defectives Aqt, and. Gray should he committed to a mental institution for examination and observation. . A formal application was lodged, and His Worship undertook to bring the matter before the Minister for Justice .*•-